16 December 2010

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Turning the page on another successful year of volunteering, International Volunteer Day on 6 December 2010 opened a window on the contributions and accomplishments of volunteers across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Ranging from raising awareness of how to reduce gender-based violence, conducting environmental clean-up activities or raising funds for local charities to augmenting local social service delivery, volunteers and volunteer involving organizations actively contributed to the enhancement of communities throughout the country.

"Let’s recognize and support volunteers" / "Prepoznajmo i podržimo volontera" – with the explicit aim of initiating a national dialogue on the critical role that volunteerism plays in BiH and to support the formal adoption and implementation of volunteer legislation, International Volunteer Day (IVD) was celebrated in BiH.

In partnership with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Delegation of the European Commission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Volontiram! network, two simultaneous one-day events were carried out on 6 December in Banja Luka and Sarajevo. The events consisted of a series of panel presentations on volunteering in BiH.

The Banja Luka event featured the award ceremony for the Government of Republika Srpska 2010 Volunteer awards with about 45 participants. More locally, members of the Volontiram! network held similar one-day events in Mrkonjic Grad, Doboj, Srebrenica, Tuzla and Bugojno, and focused on recognizing and supporting volunteers. PRONI, KULT and a number of other BiH Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) hosted a 'YES to volunteering' performance event in 20 communities across the country.

All events involved members of the host organizations, local volunteers and representatives of local CSOs, NGOs, government, public institutions and the media.

With the distribution of United Nations Volunteers (UNV) t-shirts, UNV Country Office for Bosnia and Herzegovina launched a year of reflection and celebration of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV+ 10) which recognizes the contributions of volunteers towards achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Supported by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and UNV, youth volunteers from PRONI and PERPETUUM MOBILE hosted youth workshops, exploring how young people can reduce or eliminate gender-based violence in Brcko, Bijeljina, Gracanica, Laktasi, Banja Luka and Tuzla.

The Center for Youth Education (CEM) in Travnik held a special event recognizing the young people who have participated in CEM’s education for volunteering initiative. Local and expat volunteers held the annual "Winter Bazaar – International Food Festival" in Sarajevo, and raised funds for BiH charities focusing on social needs.

UNV’s 2010 IVD celebrations included welcoming remarks by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Yuri Afanasiev, and by the OSCE Head of Mission, Ambassador Gary D. Robbins.

Ambassador Robbins spoke of the important role that volunteers and volunteering play in civil society, nurturing social reconciliation and the development of a democratic society on the road to joining the European Union.

The UN Resident Coordinator spoke of the importance of volunteering legislation to enhance the development of civil society and the provision of public good to citizens. He also talked about encouraging more citizens to voluntarily contribute their time and experience.

As a result of the participation of the OSCE Head of Mission and the UN Resident Coordinator, media coverage has helped raise awareness about the value and critical importance of legislation to protect volunteers and volunteering. This increased profile will be invaluable for the BiH UNV Country Office and its partners as they work together towards the goal of achieving volunteer legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.